Saudi menus to get mandatory calorie labels

Restaurants and cafes in Saudi Arabia will have to display the calorie content of foods for the first time, in an attempt to tackle rising levels of obesity.

The move by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority came into effect yesterday and is part of wider efforts under Saudi’s 2030 Vision to address public health concerns.

Rising obesity levels – and the consequent increase in preventable lifestyle diseases – have long been a serious issue in Gulf countries.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE are among eight Middle East countries that have the world’s highest levels of obesity among adults, with between 27 per cent and 40 per cent of the population affected. In the UAE one in three children are either obese or overweight.

Saudi Arabia is not alone in making calorie-labelling mandatory. The US introduced a national menu labelling policy in May last year.

The UK’s Department of Health and Social Care is also seeking views on its plans to introduce such a policy.

The Saudi plan was first set out by the food authority in the summer. But some business owners in the country took to social media to say they have been caught off guard by the policy and feared being fined. Others said they did not know how to calculate calories.

Restaurants have been given a grace period to comply with the bylaw and the Saudi food authority has also prepared a guidebook for business owners. It offers tips on how to reduce calories in meals and drinks served to customers.

In July last year, an online poll by YouGov Omnibus found that the rapid rise of entertainment on mobile phones and tablets was a major contributor to increasing childhood obesity in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and that almost nine out of 10 children spent an average of two and a half hours a day on their mobile devices.

Meanwhile, a report in December by Colliers International – Diabesity: Impact on the Mena Region – found the number of diabetic patients in the Middle East and North Africa is expected to increase by 119 per cent over the next 26 years.